Supply meter for liquid and gaseous mediums

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a supply meter for liquid or gaseous mediums or electric current. The supply meter is provided with a display device for the medium that passes the supply meter. The entire previous supply is displayed by means of a cumulated meter reading. A verification code can be produced by said meter reading. The verification code display device is mechanically linked to the gear of the supply display device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a national stage of PCT/DE00/02375 filed Jul. 21,2000 and based upon DE 199 44 788.8 filed Sep. 18, 1999 under theInternational Convention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention concerns a supply meter for liquid or gaseous mediums orelectric current, including a display device for the amount of themedium that has passed through the supply meter, which displays theentire previous supply in a cumulative meter reading and makes possiblethe provision of a verification code.

2. Description of the Related Art

A supply meter of this type is known from DE 19623044 A1. This knownsupply meter works electronically and has an electro-optic displaydevice for display of the consumed amount, a verification code for theused amount, and a condition verification code for the supply meter.This supply meter makes possible a verifiable evaluation of the readconsumption value and the condition of the supply meter. For reading thesupply meter, the consumer or, as the case may be, the meter-readertransposes the actual as well as the encoded display values to a cardwhich then can be evaluated by the supplier, who can then verify thecorrectness of the reading by decoding the encoded display values. Dueto the complex design and the necessary electronic constructioncomponents the manufacturing costs are substantially higher incomparison to the mechanical supply meters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the task of the invention to design a supply meter of theabove-described type in such a manner, that consumed amounts can bereliably evaluated without electronic construction components, and yetthe accuracy of the meter reading as well as the meter condition can beverified using a verification code.

The supply meter in accordance with the invention has a mechanicaldisplay for the amount of the supply medium which has passed through thesupply meter, which displays with a cumulative meter reading the totalconsumption to date and in addition makes possible the provision of averification code. The generation of the verification code occurs bymechanical gears, of which the translation relationship depends upon theconstruction design and may differ from 1:10. The representation of theverification code occurs on rollers or disks, of which the segment countcan be other than 10. For the display of the verification code it isalso possible to use numerals, figures or symbols. If the display of theverification code occurs in the form of numbers or letters, the segmentsof the rollers or disks need not be consecutively encoded, but ratherfor increasing the difficulty of manipulation may use a non-conventionsequence, which may be for example “17, 2, 3, 1, 5, 9, 0, 4, 6, 8” or““B, X, K, Z, D, A, L, O, E, F”. Insofar as letters or numbers areemployed for representing the verification code, these representparticular values, which can be evaluated as information. The rotatingbodies of the verification code display device can be connected at anypoint with the drive means or gears of the supply meter device. Thereneed only be continuity between respectively the display of theverification code display device and the device number in the zeroposition of the supply meter display, since this verification code thenforms the basis for the later evaluation of the determined verificationcode data. Therein the employed translation relationship between thedrive of the supply meter display device and the verification codedevice is taken into consideration. This can be for example 1:3.5.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will now be described in greater detail on the basis ofthe illustrative embodiment of a supply meter represented in thefigures. There is shown:

FIG. 1 a view upon the display of the supply meter,

FIG. 2 the schematic of the connection of supply meter display deviceand verification code display device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The display 8 of the supply meter includes a numeric display 4 for theconsumed amount, which display can be comprised of parallel to eachother arranged rollers or dials with numeric imprints. Parallel to thenumeric display of consumed amount 4 is provided a verification codedisplay 5, which likewise is comprised of dials, upon which numbers,symbols, letters or the like can be provided next to each other. Theverification code display 5 can be covered using a not shown cover,which could be operated using a push key or button 7. Preferably thepush key or button 7 is cushioned. This can be accomplished using aspring, an air cushion or an oil cushion. Further, the display 8 mayalso include a known consumed amount display 6 by means of which therespective consumed quantity of the medium is displayed.

The verification code display device 3 is rigidly connected with thedrive means 1 for the consumed amount display device via a gearconnection means 2. The translation relationship between the gear 1 andthe verification code display device 3 can be freely selected and may befor example 1:3.5. The knowledge of the setting of the translationrelationship is essential for the evaluation of the verification code.

1. A supply meter for liquid or gaseous medium or electric current, witha display device for displaying the amount of the medium which haspassed through the supply meter, which displays with a cumulative meterreading the entire amount consumed to date and makes possible theproduction of a verification code, wherein: (a) a separate verificationcode display device (3) is mechanically linked with the gear (1) for theconsumed-amount display-device (4) via a gear connection means (2), and(b) that the translation relationship between the gear (1) and theverification code display device (3) is freely selectable depending uponthe construction design of the gear connection means (2).
 2. A supplymeter according to claim 1, wherein the verification code provided bythe verification code display device (3) is a product of the position ofthe consumed-amount display-device (4), the setting of the verificationcode display device (3) when the consumed-amount display-device (4) wasin the zero or start position, and the translation relationship betweenthe gear (1) and the verification code display device (3).
 3. A supplymeter according to claim 1, wherein the verification code display device(3) is a rotating body.
 4. A supply meter according to claim 3, whereinthe verification code display device (3) is a rotating display.
 5. Asupply meter according to claim 3, wherein the verification code displaydevice (3) is a disk display.
 6. A supply meter according to claim 1,wherein the verification code display device (3) displays a verificationcode for the cumulative meter reading.
 7. A supply meter according toclaim 1, wherein the verification code display device (3) is fixed orset in the zero position of the supply meter display device, in order togenerate a portion of the device number.
 8. A supply meter according toclaim 1, wherein the verification code display device (3) displays,encoded, the cumulative meter reading and device specific data of thesupply meter.
 9. A supply meter according to claim 8, wherein as thedevice specific data there is displayed the device number and/or devicetype.
 10. A supply meter according to claim 1, wherein the verificationcode display device (3) displays the verification code in the form ofletters, characters, numbers or symbols.
 11. A supply meter according toclaim 1, wherein a cover provided over the display surface of theverification code display device (3) is operable by means of amechanical push button (7).
 12. A supply meter according to claim 11,wherein the push button (7) is cushioned.